Prober

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a prober that is able to carry out accurate inspection of semiconductor device in wafer state by reducing the effect of the external noises and the leakage of current and further by eliminating the stray capacitance of the chuck stage against the prober housing. The present invention attains this object by providing a prober comprising a chuck cover conductor that comprises a bottom conductor and a side conductor and an open top, wherein a chuck stage can be contained within a space surrounded by the bottom conductor and the side conductor; an upper cover conductor which has opening through which the conducting support members of the probe for front-side electrodes and the probe for back-side electrodes can be passed, and which is large enough to cover, in a plane view, at least the open top of the chuck cover conductor when the contact member of the probe for front-side electrodes moves relatively within a wafer under inspection; and, a conducting means that brings the chuck cover conductor and the upper cover conductor into contact and makes them electrically continuous.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A prober which comprises the following (1) to (9):
 (1) a chuck stage that comprises a conductive wafer holding area and a conductive probe contact area on the upper side of the chuck stage, wherein the conductive probe contact area is electrically continuous with the wafer holding area; 
 (2) a probe for front-side electrodes and a probe for back-side electrodes placed above the upper surface of the chuck stage, each of which comprises a conducting support member and a contacting member that is electrically connected to the conducting support member; 
 (3) an inductance cancel bar that is a conductive bar that connects between the conducting support member and the contacting member of the probe for front-side electrodes or between the supporting conductive member and the contacting member of the probe for back-side electrodes, which is placed parallel to the upper surface of the chuck stage; 
 (4) a moving means that moves the chuck stage relative to the probe for front-side electrodes and the probe for back-side electrodes; 
 (5) a chuck cover conductor that comprises a bottom conductor and a side conductor and an open top, wherein the chuck stage can be contained within a space surrounded by the bottom conductor and the side conductor; 
 (6) an upper cover conductor, which is placed above the inductance cancel bar and is attached to a housing of the prober via an insulator, which has an opening through which the conducting support members of the probe for front-side electrodes and the probe for back-side electrodes or electrical connection lines connected to the probe for front-side electrodes and the probe for back-side electrodes can be passed, and which is large enough to cover, in a plane view, at least the open top of the chuck cover conductor when the contact member of the probe for front-side electrodes moves relatively within a wafer under inspection by the moving means during inspection; 
 (7) a conducting means that brings the chuck cover conductor and the upper cover conductor into contact and makes them electrically continuous; 
 (8) an outer conductor that surrounds the conducting support member of the probe for back-side electrodes and has the conducting support member as an inner conductor, the outer conductor being electrically continuous with the upper cover conductor; and 
 (9) a voltage follower circuit configured to keep the probe for back-side electrodes and the outer conductor at the same potential. 
 
     
     
       2. The prober of  claim 1 , wherein the conducting means that brings the chuck cover conductor and the upper cover conductor into contact and makes them electrically continuous is the moving means, and wherein the conducting means is a means that moves the chuck cover conductor together with the chuck stage relatively upwards or downwards and thereby brings the chuck cover conductor and the upper cover conductor into contact, by moving the chuck stage upwards or downwards relative to the probe for front-side electrodes and the probe for back-side electrodes. 
     
     
       3. The prober of  claim 2 , wherein the chuck cover conductor has a contactor at the point at which the chuck cover conductor contacts the upper cover conductor, and wherein the contactor is elastically energized towards the upper cover conductor when in contact with the upper cover contactor. 
     
     
       4. The prober of  claim 1 , wherein the contacting member of the probe for front-side electrodes or the probe for back side-electrodes, which comprises the inductance cancel bar between the contacting member and the conducting support member, is supported to the upper cover conductor by another insulator between the contacting member and the upper cover conductor. 
     
     
       5. The prober of  claim 1 , which further comprises multiple lift pins that lift up a wafer above the wafer holding area, and a lift pin driving means that moves the lift pins upwards and downwards in a space between the position below the wafer holding area of the chuck stage and the position above the top edge of the side conductor of the chuck cover conductor, and wherein the chuck stage has lift pin holes which the lift pins pass through. 
     
     
       6. A prober which comprises the following (1) to (7):
 (1) a chuck stage that comprises a conductive wafer holding area and a conductive probe contact area on the upper side of the chuck stage, wherein the conductive probe contact area is electrically continuous with the wafer holding area; 
 (2) a probe for front-side electrodes and a probe for back-side electrodes placed above the upper surface of the chuck stage, each of which comprises a conducting support member and a contacting member that is electrically connected to the conducting support member; 
 (3) an inductance cancel bar that is a conductive bar that connects between the conducting support member and the contacting member of the probe for front-side electrodes or between the supporting conductive member and the contacting member of the probe for back-side electrodes, which is placed parallel to the upper surface of the chuck stage; 
 (4) a moving means that moves the chuck stage relative to the probe for front-side electrodes and the probe for back-side electrodes; 
 (5) a chuck cover conductor that comprises a bottom conductor and a side conductor and an open top, wherein the chuck stage can be contained within a space surrounded by the bottom conductor and the side conductor; 
 (6) an upper cover conductor, which is placed above the inductance cancel bar, which has an opening through which the conducting support members of the probe for front-side electrodes and the probe for back-side electrodes or electrical connection lines connected to the probe for front-side electrodes and the probe for back-side electrodes can be passed, and which is large enough to cover, in a plane view, at least the open top of the chuck cover conductor when the contact member of the probe for front side electrodes moves relatively within a wafer under inspection by the moving means during inspection; and 
 (7) a conducting means that brings the chuck cover conductor and the upper cover conductor into contact and makes them electrically continuous; 
 wherein the contacting member of the probe for front-side electrodes or the probe for back side-electrodes, which comprises the inductance cancel bar between the contacting member and the conducting support member, is supported to the upper cover conductor by an insulator between the contacting member and the upper cover conductor. 
 
     
     
       7. The prober of  claim 6 , wherein the conducting support member of the probe for back-side electrodes has, around its surroundings, an outer conductor that has the conducting support member as an inner conductor, and wherein the outer conductor is electrically continuous with the upper cover conductor. 
     
     
       8. The prober of  claim 6 , wherein the conducting means that brings the chuck cover conductor and the upper cover conductor into contact and makes them electrically continuous is the moving means, and wherein the conducting means is a means that moves the chuck cover conductor together with the chuck stage relatively upwards or downwards and thereby brings the chuck cover conductor and the upper cover conductor into contact, by moving the chuck stage upwards or downwards relative to the probe for front-side electrodes and the probe for back-side electrodes. 
     
     
       9. The prober of  claim 8 , wherein the chuck cover conductor has a contactor at the point at which the chuck cover conductor contacts the upper cover conductor, and wherein the contactor is elastically energized towards the upper cover conductor when in contact with the upper cover contactor. 
     
     
       10. The prober of  claim 6 , which further comprises multiple lift pins that lift up a wafer above the wafer holding area, and a lift pin driving means that moves the lift pins upwards and downwards in a space between the position below the wafer holding area of the chuck stage and the position above the top edge of the side conductor of the chuck cover conductor, and wherein the chuck stage has lift pin holes which the lift pins pass through.